Lawmakers Form House-Senate Effort to Eliminate Duplicative Government Programs

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) has a powerful ally in the fight to eliminate wasteful duplication in government programs: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) announced the two lawmakers are teaming up for a bipartisan, House-Senate effort to eliminate overlapping and unaccountable government services that cost taxpayers more than $100 billion a year.

A recent Government Accountability Office report on government waste revealed the extent of duplication. Now the two Republicans want Congress to do something about it. Cantor has directed House committee chairmen to look at the GAO’s recommendations for savings.

“In the coming days we will be working to set up a process so that members from the various affected committees can work together to propose crosscutting solutions, focusing on at least three specific areas that we can address most quickly,” Cantor said. “Families and businesses throughout the country have tightened their belts and are doing more with less and they deserve a government that spends their money like they do.”

The GAO was initiated by a 94-0 vote in the Senate last year. Cantor and Coburn, who have already partnered with House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), believe the undeniably wasteful and overlapping programs will make for a strong bipartisan effort.

On the Senate side, Coburn has introduced legislation based on GAO’s findings and will introduce more bills and amendments throughout the year.

“The federal government,” he said, “is on an unsustainable course. If we don’t make these choices ourselves the rest of the world will force us to make hard choices.”

Matthew McKillip is currently a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation.

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$100 billion a year ??? while the country runs a Multi-Trillion (NOT BILLION) dollar deficits.. I applaud the effort to do something, but until we see cutting 100 billion from a balanced bugdet, it don't mean jack from a spending standpoint. Hopefully one day we won't need to be printing 1,000,000,000 US currency to pay for a loaf of bread in America (like they do in Zimbabwe), I give it a 50/50 chance at this point.

LET US SEE THE RESULTS OF THESE DISCOVERIES.THE AREAS OF AUTHORITY,NUMBER OF DUPLICATIONS,NUMBER,NAMES AND EARNINGS OF VARIOUS BOARD MEMBERS,WHO THEY REPORT TO SO RESULTS CAN BE EVALUATED,AND WHEN THEY WILL END WHEN THE PROBLEMS THEY WERE SET UP TO SOLVE ARE ENDED……OR IS THERE NO END TO IT?

Wasteful programs? Programs? How about whole layers of duplicative Federal Agencies? Is this another case of Democrats controlling the dialog so nothing of substance can be said? We need to cut whole Departments, defund it in big chunks! I am not buying it that baloney, "Discretionary Spending is the only thing that can be cut!" Sixteen Intelligence Agencies is crazy, it is the perfect reason Government can do utterly stupid things. The Intelligence Services compartment data away as if to defy the word 'intelligence!'

Liberty is that American Value Progressives have attacked utterly! The economics of Liberty are harmed by the crazy spending, less Capital means less Freedom. But Demo-crats have Minced the Demographic. There are just so many activists on the Right! The Progressives have produced so many Disasters the Conservatives are splintered by the facts on the ground! The math says we will never mount adequate opposition in any particular, there are too many issues!

Wisdom is to pick your battles! But what can we do when the Opposition is picking the battles? Republicans are fighting the Budget Battle but the Demo-crats have a strategy to spend all the Republican political capital in this protracted Budget fight! When 2012 rolls around Republicans will be remembered for cutting off the poor! Baloney for sure, but this History is already written. Americans won't have the brainspace to realize if the Democrats got their way everybody will be poor! I wish the Real Issue was discussed: "It is Unconstitutional Power to drive the Nation off a cliff!" The issue ought to be Impeach the traitors for High Crimes. The Party looks pathetic, "There goes Obama! Communizing America again!" like, oh! How I wish he'd stop! Whine and wimper. Impeach! (You must write a Conspiracy Article!)

Duplicity PLUS has been going on in Federal offices for about 70 years, I heard my mother and father complain about it especilally after WWII when they worked in the Main Navy on Constitution Ave and it has only gotten worse. I have said before along with freezing hiring in Federal offices they should offer early buy out to those near retirement and not replace anyone UNLESS it was critical t National Defense or Security of the country. Freezing salaries is a laugh as they get automatic step increases in each grade so unless you are a step 12 in a grade, you will get your ingrade increase. BHO, as usual is trying tol the wool over the average person's eyes When is someone going to prove he is a dishonest person and produce his school papers, B C etc and stop all this foolishness and that will eliminate a lot of problems as anything he has done will be null and void.

At least this is a step in the right direction. I also believe that Obama and his policies are truly dangerous for this country. He has a hidden agenda and I sure hope he turns out to be a one term president. He does not follow the rule of law or the constitution!!! We need our country back to the way the Founders forged it!!!!!

The GAO cites $100B (equal to about 2 weeks of deficit spending BTW) in waste, so Congress has nonpartisan cover on cutting it. Fine. However, Obama's debt commission recommended reforming entitlement programs or else, the CBO projects nearly $1T annual deficits for the next decade, driven mainly by entitlement programs and the CMMS says Medicare & Medicaid are on unsustainable paths. It sounds like Congress has nonpartisan cover on cutting them too, but where is the serious debate on it? Paul Ryan at least has a starting point with his Roadmap. Congress really has cover from the November 2010 American voter. I like hearing, "we're doing what the voters sent us here to do". Sometimes it's easier to blame the absent third party. Blame me all day long; just cut spending.

With all of the PROBLEMS occurring in D.C., WHY DO YOU ALL NEED A SPRPING BREAK? I see all of you just LAUGHING behind WE THE PEOPLE'S BACK and usng all of the GOVERMENT MONEY to go on trips,SPEND on things NOT NEED. Why cant't all of you STAY in D.C. and give up this BREAK in ORDER to WORK ON FIXING THIS GREAT COUNTRY?

If WE THE PEOPLE took a BREAK like not PAYING OUR TAXES, all of you whould have the FORCES out THROWING us in JAIL and then THROWING the KEY'S AWAY.

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